Rolling out the carpet, Wembley-style

Rolling out the carpet, Wembley-style






Wayne Smith and Bret Harris | December 05, 2008


Article from: The Australian

WALLABIES prop Matt Dunning returned from the match-eve captain's run at Wembley a worried man, deeply concerned that the unstable surface of soccer's most fabled stadium might make scrummaging treacherous.

"It's just like loose carpet," Dunning said. "As soon as you pack a scrum on it, the whole surface folds up."

As a surface for football, Wembley is picture-postcard perfect. Indeed, an hour before kick-off the Wallabies were greeted by the unexpected sight of five groundsmen walking in staggered formation behind lawn mowers, imprinting patterns into the manicured turf. It all seemed quite pointless when something just short of 2000kg of opposing scrums came crashing together, churning the pitch into almost a ploughed field in parts. The first rugby match ever to be played at the new $2billion Wembley will surely be the last, if the ground staff have any say in the matter.

For 46 minutes, the surface held together just enough for the lurching set pieces to get their business done. But then the Wallabies scrum packed down in desperate defence 5m out from their own line, digging in with their tags to repulse the expected eight-man shove from the Barbarians.

That's when Dunning's worst fears were realised. The surface shifted, his leg went with it and in one sickening moment, his achilles tendon snapped. As he crumpled to the ground, the weight suddenly sheared on to the other side of the scrum, seemingly all of it coming to bear on Australian loosehead Sekope Kepu's right upper body, ripping apart his pectoral muscle.

In the space of two seconds, the Wallabies lost both props for the match and the NSW Waratahs lost them for most, if not all, of next year's Super 14. Having sent no fewer than four props away on the tour, the Waratahs will get back only two in working order, albeit the regular Test front-rowers Al Baxter and Benn Robinson.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans admitted the injury disaster had taken some of the shine off a memorable 18-11 victory over the Barbarians.

"It does and obviously the Waratahs won't be excited when they hear that news," Deans said. "It's just bad luck."

It was Australia's sixth successive and arguably most significant victory over the Baa-Baas, given that yesterday's match was staged to commemorate the centenary of the original Wallabies' gold medal win in rugby at the 1908 London Olympics.

Kepu was able to climb the 107 steps up to the presentation area to receive his commemorative gold medal from Princess Anne but not so Dunning who admittedly would be gnashing his teeth more at the thought of sustaining such a crippling injury just as he was about to go on holidays and put some serious work into his golf game.

Waratahs coach Chris Hickey did not watch the match on television, but he soon heard the bad news about Dunning and Kepu.

"I was travelling to work while the game was on and then I headed straight to training," Hickey said. "I've heard a lot of information about it.

"It's always disappointing when players get injuries that will keep them out for a while.

"No one wants to lose two quality players, but we have some depth here.
"Dan Palmer and Jeremy Tilse have been working hard at training. We have some coverage in that area."

A veteran of 43 Tests, Dunning is the second-most experienced front-rower in the Waratahs squad, while Kepu is an emerging player.

"It's not ideal to lose experienced players like Matt," Hickey said. "When you look at the fact we have already lost Dan Vickerman (Cambridge University), Rocky Elsom (Leinster) and David Lyons (Scarlets), that experience starts to add up."

Hickey, who intended to watch a video tape of the game last night, was unaware of the state of the pitch.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't choose a suitable venue," Hickey said.

Meanwhile, Wallabies number eight Wycliff Palu will undergo an arthroscopy on his injured shoulder next week, but he is expected to be fit for the Waratahs' opening game of the 2009 Super 14 series against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Valentine's Day.

Palu aggravated a long-standing shoulder injury in the Wallabies' 18-13 win against France in Paris three weeks ago and returned to Sydney.

"If things go well, Cliff will have a six-week rehabilitation period and be back on deck after Christmas," Hickey said.


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015652,00.html

i thought the surface looked woeful, not good for either player or the 'tahs.

although i don't think he's the best man for the job, one can only feel gutted for him.
Ive seen this happen with a mate of mine while playing squash and its excrutiatingly painful as your calf muscle contracts up your leg and cramps up... so not only is there the pain from the tear but also the cramping calf... not at all fun!!!

get well soon michelin man!!

it seems like the turf is a problem at all new stadiums, i remember Suncorp Stadium was having big problems not long after it was built as well, a couple of NRL players needed knee reconstruction after playing there so they went out and laid the turf again just prior to the 2003 RWC and i think it has being fantastic since then.

it was know as Sandcorp for a while :D
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I'm by no means a fan of the donut, but loosing him and Kepu is a pretty tough break for the reTAHds.

Check out this pici of the state of the turf at Wembly- it really does look like a rug being kicked up or something:

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/ffxima..._470x271,0.jpg

That's deplorable, it would have been like tempting fate all night for them, just knowing what could happen.

Rugby-Australia props Dunning and Kepu likely to miss Super 14
Reuters - December 6, 2008, 4:09 pm

MELBOURNE, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australia props Matt Dunning and Sekope Kepu will have surgery and are expected to miss much of next year's Super 14 competition after being injured in the Wallabies' match against the Barbarians on Wednesday.

Dunning ruptured his Achilles' tendon, while Kepu tore a pectoral muscle after the unstable playing surface forced the scrum to collapse in Australia's 18-11 victory over the invitational side at Wembley Stadium.

Both players arrived back in Sydney on Saturday.

"I felt my Achilles snap straight away, it felt like a gun shot, I've heard people explain it before and it felt exactly like that," Dunning told reporters at Sydney airport.

"There's no doubt it's going to be a long road back, I will speak to my specialist today and look to get operated on early in the week.

"I'm positive I'll be back, they say six to nine months for these things but I'm a fast healer, so maybe four to six."

While Dunning is not expected to return before the end of the annual southern hemisphere tournament, Kepu was more hopeful of returning for the New South Wales Waratahs in the later stages.

The loosehead prop was injured when Dunning slipped on the surface and collapsed the scrum.

"My arm has gone backwards and my shoulder had dropped forward and I heard the tear," Kepu said.

"I'm seeing the surgeon on Monday. It's likely there will be surgery and that's probably about three or four months." (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/arti...-miss-super-14

Surgery for Wembley-injured Wallabies
AAP - December 6, 2008, 2:32 pm

Injured Wallabies props Matt Dunning and Sekope Kepu are each expecting an imminent engagement with a surgeon's knife, with the Australian Rugby Union ruling out any form of action after both men were injured on the controversial Wembley playing surface.

Dunning (torn Achilles) and Kepu (torn pectoral) were each injured in the same scrum during Australia's 18-11 win in their tour ending clash against the Barbarians at the same stadium.

The shifting surface was again put under the spotlight after repeated criticism of the turf since the rebuilt stadium was re-opened last year.

The Australian Rugby Union has ruled out any form of protest or request for compensation, with both players likely to spend significant time on the sideline.

"There's no doubt it's going to be a long road back, I will speak to my specialist today and look to get operated on early in the week," Dunning said at Sydney Airport on Saturday morning.

"I'm positive I'll be back, they say six to nine months for these things but I'm a fast healer, so maybe four to six.

"I felt my Achilles snap straight away, it felt like a gun shot, I've heard people explain it before and it felt exactly like that."

Asked about the Wembley surface Dunning said "There was no roots on the surface, it was just laying turf on the top of dirt.

"I think you could see that it wasn't really the best surface conducive to scrummaging, but that's the least of my worries at the moment.".

Dunning said he was devastated by the injury which will almost certainly rule him out of next year's entire Super 14 tournament, though Kepu still harboured some hopes of participating in that competition.

Kepu suffered his injury after his NSW colleague Dunning slipped on the surface and brought down the Australian front row.

"My arm has gone backwards and my shoulder had dropped forward and I heard the tear," Kepu recalled.

"I'm seeing the surgeon on Monday. It's likely there will be surgery and that's probably about three or four months."

Kepu said Dunning had noted even the day before the game that the Wembley surface was less than perfect.

"It was like carpet, it just rolled up it just sort of peeled backwards," Kepu said.

"We knew there was a bit of trouble there, but they said they would steamroll it that afternoon and the next morning, but obviously it didn't make any difference, it's just not a good surface for rugby really."

Kepu and Dunning's NSW and Australian colleague and fellow prop Benn Robinson said it was a shock to see both of his fellow front rowers fall within seconds of each other.

"It was a bit of an injury ward out there," Robinson said.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/rugby/new...ured-wallabies

a fully fit greg holmes can now slot back, in to the front row............